Strike It Rich!

"The accounts of abundance of gold are of such an extraordinary character..."

-- President James K. Polk

Throughout 1848, reports and rumors about plentiful gold in the mountains and streams of California percolated throughout America. Some of the accounts seemed too good to be true -- chunks of gold waiting to be scooped up. Instant prosperity!

On December 5, 1848, President James K. Polk confirmed the tales of gold in his State of the Union address. The race was on. Thousands of individuals began streaming out west across America -- some by land, some by sea. Thousands more traveled from other countries to California. Some found the quick riches of their dreams. Most faced unending days of monotonous, back-breaking labor.